Independent craft brewing and hospitality collective Powder Monkey Group recently acquired the brands of Sydney’s Wayward Brewing Company and Akasha Brewing Company.
The acquisition is another move in Powder Monkey’s global expansion strategy, with Wayward and Akasha joining Southern Highlands Brewing Co. and Willie the Boatman in the UK brand’s operations in Australia.
This comes after Wayward and Akasha announced their own production partnership in April, which was expected to streamline operations and free up resources for both brands to focus on creativity and quality.
As part of the transition, Wayward has announced it will close its Camperdown taproom on 31 August after 10 years. The brewery said the decision not to renew its lease aligns with its integration into Powder Monkey and a focus on growing the Wayward brand through new opportunities within the collective.
Akasha founder Dave Padden will be appointed General Manager of Powder Monkey Australia, overseeing a team of combined talent from the previous independent entities.
“I’m as passionate as ever about brewing great beer and building strong, community-driven brands. I’m looking forward to bringing that same focus on quality, authenticity, and innovation to help scale Powder Monkey’s presence across Australia and the broader region,” he told Beer & Brewer about the new role.
Padden said his business goal remains to deliver quality products.
“We’ve always brewed with precision, but now we have a platform to scale that quality. Partnering with Powder Monkey means better beer, broader reach, and more capacity to innovate.”
He added: “Joining forces as Akasha and Wayward was a big move. Importantly, we’ve maintained distinct identities while sharing talent and infrastructure, leading to more efficient operations and broader distribution. Now, with the backing of Powder Monkey and three additional, quality brands, we’re in an even stronger position to grow together.”
Pete Philip, founder of Wayward agreed, adding: “This is about more than joining forces—it’s about doing more of what we love, better.
“We’ve always believed in independent beer with soul and integrity. Powder Monkey brings the backing and structure to take that spirit global—without compromising what made our brands special in the first place,” he said.
Powder Monkey Group’s Australian-based Director Ben Twomey told Beer & Brewer the collective will continue to champion independence in the local industry.
“The craft beer industry across the world has a lot of parallels and what Powder Monkey has done is encapsulate that spirit in the top and bottom halves of the world. We are in Australia, employing Australians and using Australian produce to make local beer.
“These businesses have done the hard work to build themselves and they resonate with people. As we continue to support our local supply chain and these brands, we will continue to champion independent beer.”
The deal brings together five award-winning, independent breweries, uniting on operational scale, local authenticity, brand strength, and innovative brewing under an independent, vertically integrated business.
Group CEO Andy Burdon shared his enthusiasm for the latest additions.
“Akasha and Wayward are two of the most respected names in independent Australian brewing, and I am excited about the experience Dave Padden provides to the Group.”
He added: “This acquisition brings strength, scale, and storytelling power to our portfolio—and positions us to lead in craft beer not just in Australia and the UK, but across global markets.”
Adding an estimated additional $5.5m revenue to Powder Monkey’s turnover, the collective’s latest acquisition is also expected to enable the capacity and capability for further ventures.
Twomey echoed Burdon’s sentiment on the group’s strategy for the future.
“This was about extending the international ‘buy and build’ value strategy as well as creating a sizeable central brewing engine in Australia. High asset utilisation is a key measure which is supported by the multiple brand wholesale businesses.”
With this acquisition, the combined Australian team will operate from four Sydney venues: Akasha’s Five Dock Brewery; The Akasha Barrel Room in Leichhardt; Willie the Boatman in St Peter; and Powder Monkey’s soon-to-launch Camden facility.
Tapping into Sydney’s growing southwestern suburbs, Twomey told Beer & Brewer the newest venue is set to be the local home of Powder Monkey Australia.
“We have partnered with a local property developer to create a spiritual home for the brand. We’ll be moving in a brewing kit and hospitality venue while also creating a real centrepiece in the South-west of Sydney, which is continuing to boom with the new airport right up the road.”
The venue is expected to open its doors in October.
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